Recent Study Shows Gamers Aren't All Lonely Nerds

Most gamers probably already know that you can be both a gamer AND a responsible adult with a healthy relationship and plenty of friends, but we also know that a lot of other people think differently. They think most gamers are just isolated, lonely nerds who shut themselves off from other people in favor of their virtual lives. Well, that's complete and utter crap, according to a recent study.

Two professors over at Penn State found interest in this antisocial view on gamers and decided to perform a study, handing out questionnaires to about 150 gamers lined up for the midnight release of Call of Duty: Black Ops II, figuring they fit the gamer stereotype well enough. Results of this study showed that these gamers, who were mostly male college students, tend to spend over $200 on video games per year. They also tend to play these games for about 20.5 hours a week. If you showed just these results to those who believe in the socially awkward nerd stereotype, they'd think they were right.

However, the results also showed that regardless of their level of dedication toward games, they had just as much dedication toward their social lives. "Not all video game players are destined for lives filled with failing relationships and dwindling friendships," states Penn State's press release. Basically, the results showed that spending a lot of your time on video games in no way makes people antisocial or "forever alone." Especially since the majority of games gamers play these days are, in fact, designed to play with others.

Keep in mind, however, that there are still plenty of gamers out there who spend over 100 hours a week on games, pretty much not having a chance to get outside much. Still, as more games and game platforms are becoming more community-driven, these gamers have plenty of opportunity to socialize. As for keeping a healthy relationship, that's a different matter...

What are your thoughts on this study? Do you think it will change minds?